Bottle closure



Feb.'9, 1937.- E. SIMMONS BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed June 8, '1932 ITTOR/VEY.

Patented Feb. 9, 193'] STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 (Hal.

This invention has reference to elastic caps made of rubber or othersimilar elastic material, adapted for closures for bottlesand similarcontainers, which caps may in the process of pasteurization orsterilization be adapted to permit the discharge of steam or vaporrising from the liquid contents of bottles on which they are fitted. Theinvention is especially useful as applied to caps for nursing bottles.

A principal object of my invention is to provide a bottle cap having avalve in the crown thereof which is adapted to open under internalpressure exerted in a bottle on which it is positioned, close upon thepressure being released, and hold the vacuum created in the bottle bythe cooling of the contents thereof.

Another principal object of my invention is to provide means on theunderside of the tabs on the cap for holding the ends of the tabs sumcientlyaway from the bottle with which the cap is used to enable a person toreadily grasp the same preparatory to removing the cap from the bottle.

Another principal object of the invention is to provide means in the capadapted to register with the inside mouth of the bottle on which it isused to hold the crown portion against lateral shifting. I

Another principal object of the invention is to provide a relativelystifi' crown to resist the pull of a vacuum created in the bottle onwhich the cap is used.

Another principal object of the invention is to construct the head ofthe cap adapted to fit over the bottle opening in such manner as toinsure snugness of the cap on the bottle when in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for convenientlymanipulating the cap and putting the same into place on a bottle orother container or removing the same, which means are in the form of atab or tabs.

Another object is to provide a cap which may be placed upon a bottlewithout the hands coming into contact with the mouth of the bottle orthe inside of the cap.

Other objects will be'apparent from the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a sideview of a cap embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is an end view ofthe same;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross section taken along the line 4-4 ofFigure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 5 is a cross section of my cap in position on a bottle.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, in which similar charactersrefer to similar parts throughout, 9 represents the bowl of the capwhich is preferably made of elastic material, such as rubber. At thebase of the interior .of the bowl is provided a head It extendingcircumferentially thereof and providing a constricted annulus adapted tofit over the mouth of a bottle, the upper part of said head beingadapted to be engaged by the lip of the bottle. The inner circumferenceof this head preferably tapers so as to flare in an outward and downwarddirection as shown. The outer circumference of this bead forms a roundedconnection with the bowl, which is desirable for sanitary purposes. Atab H forming part of the bead and having its base coincident withsubstantially half of the circumference thereof extends downwardly fromsaid head and may exist either singly or be duplicated as shown, one oneach side of the cap. Projections or knobs 20 are provided on the underside of the tabs for the purpose of holding the lower ends of the-tabsaway from the bottle when in use to enable ready handling of therespective tabs in the act of removing the cap from the bottle. Theeffect of the wide base for the tab is to distribute the strain ofpulling the same over a large part of the bead. The sanitary method ofplacing the cap on the bottle is to fit one side of the bead under thelip of the bottle, hold the adjacent tab with the forefinger of one handand grasp the opposed tab with the thumb and forefinger of the otherhand, the thumb being adjacent to the neck of the bottle, and turn thetab upwards thereby reversing a portion of the same with a portion ofthe bead and stretching the tab and with it the bead away and upwardfrom the lip of the bottle, and pulling the tab arcuately and downwardlyuntil the bead isentirely under the lip of the bottle. It is obvious,

of course, that the cap may be put on the bottle in any other suitableway.

The crown of the bowl is thickened so as to stiffen the same, and in itI have provided a valve body l2, which projects in an upward direction.The valve body is provided witha valve slit l3 and a recess l4 overwhich recess the projecting portion of the valve body is' positioned. Oneach side of the slit are provided ribs l8 adapted to reinforce thematerial adl jacent the valve slit l3, said ribs preferably beingdisposed at right-angles to the valve slit. The purpose of thisarrangement is to facilitate the emission of steam and vapor from thebottle on which the cap is placed, and to close the valve upon therelease of pressure of such steam or vapor, and thereafter resist acollapsing tendency of the valve into the bottle upon a vacuum beingformed therein.

A circumferential rib I9 is provided'on the outside of the bowl whichacts as a grip in pressing the bead I 0 in placed under the lip of thebottle, and another rib 2| along the edge of the tabs is provided tostrengthen the tabs and add to their finished appearance and also tomake them easier to grasp.

In operation, the cap is manually drawn over the opening of the bottle,the bead l0 thereof engaging the underside of the lip H. of the bottleand by reason of its angular tapered shape fits snugly against the neckand under the lip, giving the same a firm and tight joint. The tabs llfollow the line of the shoulder of the bottle with the knobs 20 holdingthe ends of the tabs sufliciently away from the bottle to enable a readypickup of the respective tabs when its desired to remove the cap fromthe bottle.

To pasteurize or sterilize the contents of the bottle, the cap is placedin position as described and the bottle and contents are heated in anywell-known manner. The pressure of the expanding steam or vapor risingfrom the liquid contents of the bottle will force apart the lips of thevalve body l2 and the steam or vapor generated in the bottle will bereleased, passing throughthe recess l4 and the communicating slit l3 ofthe valve into the open atmosphere. When the temperature in the bottleis reduced so as to relieve the valve of the inner pressure, the valveagain closes and the lips of the same are pressed together forming anair-tight seal for the contents of.the bottle, and as the bottle coolsfurther a vacuum is formed within it which tends to draw the crown 'ofthe cap into the mouth of the bottle. To resist this tendency, thediametrical ends of the valve body rest upon the lip of the mouth of thebottle with the rib 22 positioned within the bottle mouth, thusovercoming any tendency to collapse the crown of the cap into the mouthof the bottle or laterally shift the same thereon. Furthermore, theadjacent ends of the ribs l8, upon the vacuum condition being formed inthe bottle are drawn intimately into association with each other andform a bridge, and also resist the tendency of the vacuum to draw thecrown of the cap into the mouth of the bottle.

It is, of course, obvious that some features of the cap described may beembodied in the form of a nipple for a feeding bottle or adapted toother analogous uses. I do not wish to be confined, therefore, to theembodiment shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is setforth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An elastic cap, having a substantially rectangular head at the basethereof, a tab extending downward from said bead and forming acontinuation of the bead and extending at its base substantiallyhalf-way around the circumference of said head and having a projectionthereunder adapted to-provide a ready finger hold for said tab when saidcap is in position on a bottle.

2. An elastic cap, having a crown adapted to cover the mouth of a bottleand of sufiicient thickness and rigidity to resist collapse whensubjected to suction from within the bottle, said crown having a slittherethrough, a bead spaced from the crown for fitting under the lip ofthe bottle to retain the crown normally in contact with the bottlemouth, and a tab extending downward from said bead andextending at itsbase substantially half-way around the circumference of said bead, andhaving a projection at the inside of the lower end thereof which forms aready finger hold for said tab when said cap is in position on a bottle.

3. An elastic cap, having a bead at the interior base thereof, a rib atthe outer base thereof, a tab extending downward from said bead, saidtab extending at its base substantially half-way around thecircumference of said bead, and a rib on said tab, said tab having aprojection thereunder adapted to provide a ready finger hold for saidtab when said cap is in position on a bottle.

4. An elastic cap member for mounting upon the neck of a nursing bottleor the like, having a bead at the interior base thereof adapted to fitunder the lip of a bottle upon which said cap' is positioned, a tabextending downwardly from said bead in suchdirection as to tend to lieagainst the neck of the bottle and a projecting knob on the under sideof the tab near its lower end adapted to space the lower end of said tabaway from the bottle neck so as to provide a ready finger hold to enablethe tab to be grasped when the cap is to be removed.

5. In an elastic cap for sealing a bottle against external pressurewhile permitting the escape of internal pressure therefrom, a bowlhaving an arched crown concentric with and shaped to rest .on the mouthof abottle and provided interiorly with a downwardly projectingcircumferential rib for engaging the interior of the bottle mouth, saidcrown being of sufiicient thickness and rigidity to resist collapse whensubjected to suction from within the bottle, said crown having a slittherethrough, and an internal bead spaced from the crown for fittingunder a lip of the bottle to retain the crown normally in contact withthe bottle mouth.

6. The structure defined in claim 5 in which the downwardly projectingcircumferential rib with which the crown is provided has a frustoconicalouter surface for engaging the interior of the bottle mouth to supportthe arched crown.

ELTA SIMMONS.

